Wireless controllers provide players with freedom of movement by wirelessly connecting the controller to the gaming console. Typically, the controllers provide features such as vibration feedback, mini-joysticks, D-pad, pressure-sensitive buttons, etc. that players would find on wired controllers. In addition, the systems that connect wireless controllers to gaming consoles often allow multiple players to play at once on the console.
Conventional controllers and gaming consoles, however, fail to provide a system and method of providing notifications to players. For example, it is difficult for players to know if their wireless controller has connected to the console as no indication is provided of a successful connection. It is also difficult for users of wireless controllers to know what player number or port number they are connected to, i.e. the prior art has not embodied a virtual analog to the cable being plugged into a physical port. This problem also exists where there may be a mixture of wired and wireless controllers which must be mapped to virtual ports.
Also, messages need to be conveyed to a player. Conventional wireless controllers cannot notify the player of such messages, nor identify the appropriate player of a message. Thus, conventional consoles and controllers have failed to provide a method for conveying notifications to players about events that may be of interest. The present invention provides such a solution.